Our goal is to train future leaders in infectious disease (ID) epidemiology. To be leaders, our trainees will need to be well grounded in interdisciplinary research, as ID epidemiology evolves and intersects with other disciplines, such as genomics and geography. Our previous trainees have all conducted interdisciplinary research involving biomarkers, social determinants of disease, or methods development. In the next funding period, our program will increase its focus on interdisciplinary science through classwork and research, taking advantage of the broad range of our faculty's expertise and the highly collaborative research environment at UNC. This training program is new (since 2006) and small (3 slots per year); we request only a small increase (to 4 slots/year). With continued NIH support, we know that we can attract and groom an elite group of students to become the academic trailblazers for ID epidemiology PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Infectious diseases remain major public health problems both in developed and developing countries. We aim to train infectious disease epidemiologists who can apply interdisciplinary approaches to better understanding these diseases.